If You Think Christmas is Over, Think Again

Everyone is declaring the holidays over; but I hardly need to remind Middle Eastern readers that most Eastern Churches celebrate Christmas on the Julian Calendar date on January 7, and Christmas lies ahead. And keep in mind that Saint Nicholas himself was Archbishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey, and surely never even saw a reindeer, let alone one that could fly. With the many pressures on Middle Eastern Christian communities today, it may be a good time to remember the rich Eastern traditions.